A Special Screening of ‘Emancipation’ with Screenwriter Bill Collage

On Monday, December 5, at 6 p.m., Sag Harbor Cinema will host a special screening of “Emancipation.” The evening will be highlighted by a Q&A featuring screenwriter and Sag Harbor Cinema board member Bill Collage. The cinema’s founding artistic director, Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, will moderate.

“‘Emancipation’ will be the first Apple Original film to be shown at Sag Harbor Cinema — and I’m hoping it’s the beginning of a long collaboration, as they have so many premium titles in their pipeline,” said Collage. “This is an especially meaningful night to me as well, because some of ‘Emancipation’ was written in the Sag Harbor Cinema itself, when I had an office on the third floor. So it’s ‘bringing the story home’ in a sense. To me, Antoine Fuqua's emotional, powerful film fits in well with the amazing offerings that artistic director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan has been programming for our community of cinephiles. It promises to be a special night for our town.”

“We are thrilled to be able to share with our audience the opportunity to experience this visually arresting, thought provoking film on a big screen; even more with its writer at hand to discuss,” said D’Agnolo Vallan. “I am very grateful both to Bill and AppleTV+ for making it possible.”

“Emancipation” tells the triumphant story of Peter (Will Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom. The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of “Whipped Peter,” taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as “The Scourged Back,” which shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery.

Tickets for the screening are available at sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor.